Fresno Famous

Face it, we all practice it.

Something we're eating or preparing falls on the floor. We pick it up and exclaim, "No harm. It didn't violate the '5-Second Rule.'"

During the holidays, it's really tempting to implement because of:

a.) A house full or relative, particularly the inlaws; and

b.) A lot of holiday foods are expensive—turkeys, hams, steaks, salmon, etc.; and

c.) Everyone is hungry and wants to eat RIGHT NOW.

According to WebMD and AOL and the Colorado Cooperative Extension Service, you might want to rethink the practice.

As the Colorado State Extension Service notes:

[Jillian] Clarke's findings show there are no assurances that any type of dropped food is safe for any amount of time. Because germs are microscopic, there is no way to know what is growing on your floors. While it is likely that a bathroom floor may be more risky than a kitchen floor, one needs to assume that harmful bacteria may be present on any surface. It is time to re-think this age-old practice and stop rationalizing the use of the 5-second rule. As tempting as it may be, the next time some yummy morsel falls to the floor…into the trash it must go!

But that story's for another day.

Merry Christmas and practice safe food handling!
Party hard at SpencersOnline.com!